Parker Nursing

Pros

• The Parker Memory Care Unit has amazing staff who keep residents engaged with activities.
• Taryn is beloved by residents and consistently demonstrates care and accessibility.
• Taryn makes time to welcome new residents and helps with smooth transitions for staff.
• The staff at Parker are compassionate and treat residents like family.
• The facility is great to work with, and residents are sweet and caring.
• The staff are professional, kind, and helpful.
• The administration and staff are super nice, and the facility is highly recommended.
• The staff go out of their way to care for residents and make their days brighter; the facility is clean and well maintained.

Cons

• The facility is a dump.
• This place should be condemned.
• A resident was found with a large full-thickness wound that went unreported for too long, showing a lack of care and attention.
• The halls reek of urine and the rooms are filthy with old, poorly maintained equipment.
• Residents were treated very badly.
• The facility is horrible to both employees and residents, severely understaffed and underpaying its overworked staff.
• The food is disgusting and hard to eat; the workplace is dirty and needs updating.
• Most employees are rude and yell at residents; the food is wrong and diabetes care is neglected; doctors do not visit in person.
• The van is not large enough for wheelchairs and lacks a heater to keep patients warm during trips.
• Administration does not keep track of residents and is accused of lying about what goes on.

Review

Parker Memory Care Unit presents a tempting mix of heartfelt praise and hard-edged concern, depending on who you ask and when you visit. A number of people describe it as a place where the staff truly care for residents, where activities keep people engaged, and where the atmosphere feels warm and supportive. In particular, one dedicated caregiver - Taryn, a resident assistant - receives frequent thanks for her compassion, responsiveness, and ability to make transitions smoother for visitors and hospice staff. Those who work with Taryn say she is consistently there when assistance is needed, and they note that residents enjoy her presence and appreciate the extra time she takes to talk with new residents and address their needs. The overall tone from these voices is that Parker's Memory Care Unit can be a bright, people-centered environment with a team that genuinely loves the residents.

Beyond Taryn, another set of comments highlights the quality of the people on the ground. Several reviewers praised the staff across departments for being kind, professional, and helpful, and they described Parker as a place where teamwork is emphasized and where the residents feel valued. In one particularly heartfelt note, a resident described the staff as amazing, and another mentioned that the facility is clean and the people are consistently courteous when they visit. There is also praise for the administration's approach, with some saying the new administration is super nice and that they would gladly recommend the facility to others. These voices convey a strong sense of community and a working environment that strives to treat residents like family.

However, the picture is not uniformly rosy. A significant number of comments offer starkly negative experiences and cautionary observations about safety, cleanliness, and oversight. Several reviewers used harsh language to describe the facility as a "dump" and criticized conditions such as urine odors in halls, rooms that felt dirty or poorly maintained, and equipment that appeared outdated. One very concerning report described a resident who was found with a substantial wound that reportedly went unreported for too long, with the implication that lapses in attention to resident health and safety were to blame. Taken together, these accounts suggest a troubling inconsistency in the level of care and in the facility's ability to maintain a safe, hygienic environment for residents.

Capacity and staffing concerns also appear in multiple accounts. Some reviewers described the staff as overwhelmed by understaffing, noting that the workload can be heavy and that basic needs or timely attention may be at risk during busy times. Related complaints include the perception that employees are not adequately compensated for the demanding work, and worries that this could contribute to turnover or less-than-ideal conditions on certain shifts. There are mentions of miscommunication and even accusations that administration does not fully keep track of residents, with some reviewers claiming that important medical follow-ups - like doctor visits - are not happening as expected and that transportation for medical appointments is insufficient. Taken together, these observations paint a picture of systemic strain that can color daily life for residents and their families.

Yet within the same facility, there are equally strong testimonies of excellent care and meaningful connections. A resident who had two months of bed rest due to broken ankles spoke of the staff as "amazing" across all departments, crediting them with making recovery and daily life more manageable. A person who has been at Parker for three years described the workplace as one where teamwork is a clear emphasis, while others recounted how family members were treated with kindness and respect during difficult times, including moments of grief. Several reviews centered on family members - grandparents, a parent, and a sibling - who felt deeply cared for, noting gestures as small as a soda or a personal touch that made a real difference in their loved ones' days. These accounts emphasize that when the culture and handoffs align, Parker can be a place of genuine warmth and sustained-quality care.

In closing, Parker Memory Care Unit emerges as a facility of contrasts: a core of compassionate, capable staff who can transform daily life for residents and families, paired with serious reports of neglect, odor, and safety concerns that - if true - would demand urgent attention. The testimonials collectively suggest a spectrum of experiences, with some residents thriving under a supportive, attentive team and others encountering conditions and management issues that challenge safety and comfort. For families and hospice partners considering Parker, the message is clear: there are remarkable people and moments of excellence to be found here, but it would be prudent to seek firsthand visits, ask pointed questions about staffing levels, wound reporting, medical oversight, and cleanliness, and observe how the facility operates across different shifts to form a complete picture.

Cafes

• 3rd Street Cafe (0.4 miles)
• Starbucks (0.8 miles)
• Blue-Eyed Rascal (1.4 miles)
• Cranks On Main (1.4 miles)

Restaurants

• McDonald's (0.4 miles)
• Wing Street (0.4 miles)
• The Eastwood Golf Course (0.4 miles)
• Chippers Grill (0.4 miles)
• Taco Bell (0.4 miles)
• Pines Restaurant (1.2 miles)
• La Salsa (1.3 miles)

Theaters

• Streator Eagle 6 (0.4 miles)
• Roxy Cinemas (14.4 miles)

Places of Worship

• Jehovah's Witnesses (0.6 miles)
• Park Presbyterian Church (1.4 miles)
• Immaculate Conception Parish (2 miles)
• Central Church of Christ (2.5 miles)
• St Paul's Lutheran Church (8.3 miles)
• Christian Church Disciple S Of Christ Parsonage (9.5 miles)
• Long Point Christian Church (9.6 miles)

Transportation

• Terry's Taxidermy (0.8 miles)
• U-Haul (12.6 miles)
• U-Haul (13 miles)

Pharmacies

• Walmart Pharmacy (1 miles)
• Walgreens (1.4 miles)
• Streator Drugs (1.4 miles)
• The Pharmacy Stop (1.7 miles)
• Tyner Pharmacy (12.3 miles)
• Medi-Rx Pharmacy (13.1 miles)
• Ottawa Health Mart (13.2 miles)

Physicians

• Streator Smiles (1 miles)
• Family Vision Corner (1.4 miles)
• Osf Medical Group (1.5 miles)
• U K Sinha MD (1.6 miles)
• Streator Radiation Oncology (1.9 miles)
• Cancer Clinic (1.9 miles)
• Cancer Treatment Center (1.9 miles)

Hospitals

• St Mary's Hospital (1.2 miles)
• St Mary's Hospital (1.8 miles)
• Ottawa Regional Medical Center (14.8 miles)
• OSF Saint Elizabeth - Diagnostic Imaging (14.8 miles)
• Illinois Neurological Institute (14.9 miles)

Parks

• Grand Ridge park (6.7 miles)
• La Salle Lake State Wildlife (11.9 miles)
• Wenona, City (12.4 miles)
• Peck Park (12.5 miles)
• Buffalo Rock State Park (13.6 miles)
• Starved Rock State Park (14.6 miles)
• John C Knudson Park (14.8 miles)